A Cairo court on Saturday sentenced former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to a total of 40 years in prison for leaking state secrets to Qatar.
Morsi received life in prison, carrying a sentence of 25 years, for leading an unlawful group, and an additional 15-year jail term for stealing documents related to national security.
Before announcing the verdict in the latest in a series of trials for the embattled former president, the judge gave a long speech in which he indicated that he had no shred of doubt that Morsi and his six co-defendants were guilty.
He had earlier consulted the government’s highest Islamic cleric on the death penalty for the other six defendants. The response came to assure the judge he is taking the right decision. The six were sentenced to be hanged.
Defense lawyer Abdel Moniem Abdel Maqsoud said the defense team is likely to appeal the verdict. “We have 30 days within which the court will publish its reasons behind the verdict. We will study this document and prepare to file an appeal within 60 days from that. I think the verdicts for Morsi and Dr. Abdel Aaty will be canceled and it’s easy to expect there will be an appeal,” he said.
According to the defense team, the verdict is contradictory as Morsi was found innocent of espionage charges but convicted of stealing national defense secrets.
The verdict is the fourth handed down to Morsi. His total sentences now add up to 85 years in prison and a death penalty, and a fifth case is still pending.
